August 15^th, 2003 (12:00am) - Video game pioneer Mario disappointed voters across the state of California today, confirming he will not be a candidate in the upcoming gubernatorial recall election.

Instead, he disclosed plans to focus on furthering the development of the Mario Party, a well-established, alternative grassroots movement for people who want to see real action from their candidates.

"The California recall election is too much of a circus, even for me, and I live in a world filled with Koopa Troopas and man-eating plants. Multi-player is good -- but this election is over the top," says Mario. "I definitely would have been the most animated candidate but, even in times of deep budget deficits, saving princesses has to take priority."

Beginning Nov. 11, Mario will launch the next stage in the evolution of the Mario Party. His first act will be restoring peace to Dream World, just one plank in a long list of guarantees in the Mario Party 5 platform. Running exclusively on the Nintendo GameCube ticket, Mario and trusted cabinet members Donkey Kong, Princess Peach, Luigi, Toad and others will take his message to the streets, campaigning non-stop across all-new game boards and through more than 60 free new mini-games.

However, Mario remains guarded about rumors of a Presidential bid in 2004.

"I’ve spent my life collecting coins, leaping over obstacles and fighting bosses, so obviously I have the necessary experience," says Mario. "But as all game players know, everything else must be put on hold until the limitless fun of Mario Party 5 is explored. Once that’s done, I will make a decision."

Since breaking onto the scene in the classic 1981 arcade game Donkey Kong, Mario has successfully jumped between console, arcade and hand-held systems, starring in games that have sold more than 165 million copies.

Like one of the better-known gubernatorial candidates, Mario is also a media celebrity and was born overseas. If he had continued with the race, Mario would have been one of the youngest gubernatorial candidates in California history. Because he dropped out of the election, Mario will not be disclosing his income or financial holdings, revealing only that he has enough money to buy all the Koopa shells he needs. Koopa shell options immediately jumped in after-hours market trading.